Years of the Villain-Brat
by DayDreamer120
Summary: Book 2 in the Villain-Brat series. Full summary inside.
1. Plant Decay

Summary: We all know Erika Rose Tachibana as the former villain-brat and current registered hero and honorary Thunderman (more or less), but how did she get here? What sort of parenting could lead to someone like Portal? How did her parents meet and why would they divorce? When did her powers develop? Who got her addicted to sitcoms? This is the early childhood of Erika "The Soulless Demon Puppet" Tachibana, from birth, to going evil, to the creation of her hero identity and subsequent guardian reassignment. Welcome to Years of the Villain-Brat.

4 years pE (pre-Erika)

02:42am

Paris, France

Sleek red lips quirked up as the guards collapsed, foaming at the mouth. The woman hadn't been sure of the latest mixture, but it looked like the field test was a success. Green heels clicked gently as she stepped over the spasming bodies and started down the hall. This was almost too easy. Get a lackey to play around with the security system, pump her new drug cocktail through the already sabotaged vents, and then claim her prize.

And what a prize it was! Lightly colored eyes glinted in pleasure as she passed another guard, this one slumped over a table. In general, she preferred not to steal objects as much as money or information. They were a pain to transport and rarely sold easily unless a buyer was already lined up.

This, however, she would not sell.

No.

It was hers!

Turning a final corner, the brunette stopped in front of an inconspicuous, unmarked door. Opening it, she glared at the mops and buckets. She'd never liked cleaning. Various products clattered and sloshed as she threw them out of her way, looking for-

There!

With a small, satisfied noise, the woman pressed a tiny indent in the lower corner of the wall. It was an almost unnoticeable imperfection, but she was sure that was by design. With a click, the wall slid open, revealing a darkened staircase. Giving in to excitement, she ran down the stairs, sure that her contact had disabled any safety measures. She paid him well and he knew better that to piss her off, now of all times.

The woman arrived at another door, this one the solid metal of a vault. She was here, it was just beyond this last obstacle. She felt her breath speed up as she typed in the access code. This was the result of months of effort, sleepless nights and violent interrogations, but she'd finally tracked it down! The door swung open, and the woman stepped into the spacious vault.

There, maybe ten feet away, was her prize. She stepped into the vault, eyes never leaving the tiny box resting on the table.

"Finally," she whispered, jade eyes gleaming, "you. Are. Mine."

"Not quite," came the emotionless reply.

The brunette spun around, green eyes meeting all-consuming blackness.

09:59am

Paris, France

With a start, the woman woke. Long-fingered hands rose to her aching head, trying to sooth the pounding inside her skull. Where was she? The last thing she remembered was going for-

With a gasp, the brunette sprung out of bed, searching the room desperately. It had to be here! It HAD to be!

It wasn't. She was alone in a hotel room. Whoever had left her here had taken her treasure.

Wilting Rose screamed in agony, tearing through the room as if it was possible to hurt that man by breaking everything else.

She would find him, she swore. He would pay for this slight. His life was hers!

Her back to it, Rose couldn't see as the cracked screen of the television briefly flashed white.


	2. Mind of the Leader

3 years pE

10:07am

Mountaintop Base

Japan

Black orbs flashed in barely controlled rage. Three plans! The plant psychopath had ruined three of his plans!

Mindleader leaned back against his chair, forcefully settling his emotions. It helped, but not completely.

At first it had been a game. He remembered the amusement of realizing that the American legacy villain sought the same prize in France. It hadn't been much, really, the plant samples, but the satisfaction of watching the green-eyed brunette's hotel temper tantrum?

Priceless.

Or so he'd thought. As it turned out, there was most certainly a price.

The woman was a menace, one whose tenacity he had underestimated. Not only had she figured out who he was, but she had directed the full scope of her abilities towards vengeance. And here he was, scorned by his peers (few as there were) for his failures.

"Akihiro." Mindleader felt his thoughts settle further as Manabu approached. The older male had served him faithfully since adolescence.

"Greetings, brother. The samples?" The small metal box was pressed into his hands. It had taken months to find them again after sale, but here they were.

If Wilting Rose is willing to die for these, let her.

Note: Sorry for the long delay! I've been hammered by work lately, to the point that I totally forgot about this. Thanks for the review reminder; I hate leaving things unfinished.


	3. Breakdown

Three years pE

03:12pm

Meeting Room

Hero League HQ

President Breakdown groaned, massaging his temples as Kickbutt finished her report. He'd thought he'd seen the worst when Mister Novocain drugged the entire Boston water supply, effectively shutting down a major American city for a week, as heroes worked 24/7 to pick up the boneless, drooling civilians littering the streets.

This was worse. So. Much. Worse.

Legacy villains tended to be unpredictable but there were no records of something like this happening, of two villains going to war and using the planet as their battleground. If he thought about it, this sort of chaos could fit with what his people had told him about Wilting Rose, the chlorokinetic of New York, but Mindleader? Mindleader was the epitome of stoic self-control, always following closely to his plans and never allowing personal grudges to distract him. Except he was, and there was a decimated, smoldering forest to prove it.

What was going on?

"Enough!" Kickbutt stopped talking, eyes narrowed. She was never the type to take being disrespect lightly and he'd be paying for it later. "I know what's going on as a result of their fights, but what you've failed to get is a motive. Even if the two were at odds, Mindleader would never stoop so low as to participate in random grudge matches, it isn't his style. We are no closer to apprehending the two than we ever were, so we need to come up with a plan!" He slammed his now empty coffee mug onto the desk, cursing as the handle chipped off.

"There's no way we can infiltrate Mindleader's elite so we'll need to get closer to Rose."

Kickbutt smiled, the type of smug I-know-something-you-don't-know look that never failed to make him question his choice to make her the League's Vice President. "Well, if we can't add someone in, perhaps we can switch someone out," tossing a folder on his desk, the blue haired woman's smile became a grin.

"We still have Colosso in solitary, don't we?"


	4. 300 Miles Under

Note: Hi again! For those who don't know, Mighty Max is a fictional prison from another superhero show. You don't need any background, but feel free to look up Mighty Med.

2.5 years pE

09:25am

Mighty Max

Roughly 300mi underground

"LET ME GO!" Mindleader looked up as he heard a very familiar shriek, moving quickly to the force field covering the front of his cell.

"GET OFF ME, YOU BASTARDS, YOU SPINELESS MEAT SACKS, YOU-mmphg!" Wilting Rose's threats were stifled as the warden forced a Hannibal-styled mask over her face, buckling it behind her head. Absently, the Japanese man noted the pain in her eyes as her curls were yanked by the rough treatment. Or perhaps the pain was from the strain of motion on the thirty-two cuts on her arms, legs, and torso, courtesy of their earlier fight.

Mindleader frowned as Rose was quickly released from the gurney she had been wheeled on, only to be grabbed roughly by three guards and shoved into the cell opposite his own. Hitting the floor hard, Wilting Rose was still quick on her feel, leaping towards the exit, only to slam ineffectually against the new blue barrier. He watched as she clawed at the divide, mask still in place, blood already saturating the gauze pressed against the larger of her cuts.

Something about it…he didn't like. Why was that?

As suddenly as it began, the plant-based villain's movement stopped, glaring as she noted his presence. With a mental scoff, Mindleader looked away, returning to his cot, his own cuts and bruises protesting every step.

Why didn't he like her pain, her fear and anger?

Because, for once, he hadn't caused it.

That was all.

6 hours earlier

President Breakdown's Office

Hero League HQ

President Breakdown smile was strained yet satisfied as he addressed the five heroes assembled before him. Soon, within the hour, two of the planet's most dangerous criminals would be in the custody of the League of Heroes, a subsidiary of the Hero League, and they could then be transferred to stricter watch within a Hero League Super Villain Prison.

"Our informant has confirmed her arrival, and the aerosols are in place. I'm expecting a confirmation call from Dr. Diaz when Mindleader makes his move."

The plan, at its heart, was a simple one. Wilting Rose had been contacted by an 'anonymous seller' who claimed to have come into possession of the plant samples Mindleader had taken from her, from the first night of their ongoing rivalry. Of course it was a trap and they all knew it, but villains like pretensions, and both would be at the warehouse early this morning, ready to finish their rivalry once and for all.

But the real trap wasn't Mindleader's, and it wasn't Rose's. Neither of them would leave the building a free villain.

All thanks to a cuckoo in Wilting Rose's nest.

Breakdown looked over at Kickbutt. "Have Colosso moved to level three after he switches back into his body. A deal's a deal."

Before long, he could guarantee neither of the legacy villains would see the light of day ever again. This was an incredible victory for the League, for the earth itself.

Everything was falling into place.


End file.
